Jack Sawyer, twelve years old, is about to begin a most fantastic journey, an exalting, terrifying quest for the Talisman--for only the Talisman can save Jack's dying mother and defeat the enemy who is out to destroy them both. But to reach his goal, Jack must make his way not only across the breadth of the United States, but through the wondrous and menacing Territories as well.

The Territories lie as firmly in the imagination as Atlantis or Oz; they are as real as every reader's own vision of that parallel world evoked in the mind's mysterious eye. In the Territories Jack finds a world little removed from the Earth's own Dark Ages: though the air is so sweet and clear a man can smell a radish being pulled from the ground a mile away, a life can be snuffed out instantly in the continuing struggle between good and evil.

As Jack makes his way westward towards the redemptive Talisman, a dual array of heart-stopping encounters challenges him at every step--from a terrifying period when he's held captive in an Indiana home for wayward boys that is run by a sadistic religious fanatic, to sudden and murderous attacks by enemies of Queen Laura in the Territories.

The book had a slow start, but once Jack is on the road, it starts to take off. As he jumps back and forth between our world and the Territories, he meets people, good and bad, who further his journey. I came to care for many of those characters: Jack, of course, Richard, but especially Wolf (Wolf!) I was not prepared for his fate.

And I loved that I could get so involved with so young a character as Jack. I’m usually not one for YF, so it says a lot about the writing skills of both King and Straub. There is a depth and maturity to their writing. Perhaps because, though the characters are young, the book isn’t necessarily geared toward the young reader.

A small flaw, the book does tend to drag from time to time. It’s a huge book that perhaps shouldn’t have been so huge.





( Mount TBR 2019 Book Links )

BOOK BINGO

Horror - The Talisman (The Talisman #1) by Stephen King, Peter Straub



( And the rest... )

The stage is set of confrontation at Billingate--illegal shipyard, haven for pirates and brigands, where every vice flourishes and every appetite can be sated. Gateway to the alien realm of the Amnion, the shipyard is a clearinghouse for all they require to fulfill their mutagenic plans against humanity.

It is here that the fate of Morn Hyland is to be decided amid a kaleidoscopic whirl of plot and counterplot, treachery and betrayal.

As schemes unravel to reveal yet deeper designs, Morn, Nick, Angus' lives may all be forfeit as pawns in the titanic game played our between Warden Dios, dedicated director of the UMC Police, and the Dragon, greed-driven ruler of the UMC. Here, the future of humankind hangs on the uncertain fortune of Morn Hyland in a daring novel of epic power and suspense, relentlessly gripping from first page to last.

I’m happy to say that the series has finally hit its stride, this being the best book so far. The reader is given a deeper look into what is going on that even those who thought they knew, didn’t. Betrayals abound, as nothing seems to be what it is, so the reader is left wanting more. Luckily, there are still two more books.

I’m still not totally happy with the main characters of Morn, Nick, and Angus. Their flaws still rule their lives, and they have plenty. I could perhaps feel more sympathy for the three if they weren’t giving so much to themselves. It seems that the fault always lies with the stars. Who are the victims, who the villains?

I’m hoping there’s more character growth in the next two books, because at this point, while I’ve become more invested in the plot, in the characters not so much.




( Mount TBR 2019 Book Links )

And yet another book that doesn't fit into my Bingo card.

This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog's search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, this touches on the universal quest for an answer to life's most basic question: Why are we here?

Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey's search for his new life's meaning leads him into the loving arms of 8 year old Ethan. During their countless adventures Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog. But this life as a beloved family pet is not the end of Bailey's journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again, Bailey wonders, will he ever find his purpose?

Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh out loud funny, this book is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog's many lives, but also a dog's eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man's best friend. This story teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.

I’d read another Cameron book, which I really enjoyed, so looked forward to this one. I wasn’t disappointed. Granted, it being about a dog set it up to pass, but there was more here than just another dog story. Maybe because it’s told from the point of view of the dog. There have been plenty of stories of how people relate to dogs, but never the other way around. At least, not one I’d read. Cameron is able to actually make me believe that that’s how a dog would think, would see its interactions with humans.

What probably helped was knowing that Bailey, the dog’s most memorable name, never dies, that I was able to happily read the story of his skipping from life to life, learning something new each time, sometimes in a good life, sometimes in a not-so-good life. But still wanting love, wanting to find his purpose, and never forgetting the boy who meant so much to him.




( Mount TBR 2019 Book Links )


BOOK BINGO

Movie Tie-in/Made into a Movie - A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron



( And the rest... )

Memoirs of a Polar Bear stars three generations of talented writers and performers―who happen to be polar bears.

Three generations (grandmother, mother, son) of polar bears are famous as both circus performers and writers in East Germany: they are polar bears who move in human society, stars of the ring and of the literary world. In chapter one, the grandmother matriarch in the Soviet Union accidentally writes a bestselling autobiography. In chapter two, Tosca, her daughter (born in Canada, where her mother had emigrated) moves to the DDR and takes a job in the circus. Her son―the last of their line―is Knut, born in chapter three in a Leipzig zoo but raised by a human keeper in relatively happy circumstances in the Berlin zoo, until his keeper, Matthias, is taken away...

Happy or sad, each bear writes a story, enjoying both celebrity and “the intimacy of being alone with my pen.”

It’s about polar bears? Count me in, but this is about the strangest book I’ve ever read. And not because it’s told from the perspective of three polar bears. It’s the stories the polar bears tell that make it strange.

It starts with Lisa, Knut’s grandmother. She works in the circus, but for some reason can also write. Her story isn’t too bad, though perhaps a bit too long. Tosca’s story isn’t even much about her. Rather about a friend of hers. I couldn’t have cared less.

Finally it’s Knut’s turn. The story starts out well, and, with some minor adaptions, follows his life fairly closely. It’s after his keeper dies that things go off the rails, because Knut starts seeing a man he calls “Michael,” who had also been a child star and then was accused of “terrible things” when grown. Really? Knut’s new friend is the ghost of Michael Jackson?

Knut was accused of being dangerous, which, being a polar bear, he obviously was to a certain extent, though not to his keeper. He was just being a bear. Jackson, on the other hand, was just being a man? I don’t think so. It’s a stretch that does not work at all.




( Mount TBR 2019 Book Links )


BOOK BINGO

Audiobook or Ebook - Memoirs of a Polar Bear by Yoko Tawada



( And the rest )

From the #1 bestselling author - the story of an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that.

This is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect.

I’ve liked Al Franken since SNL and Stuart Saves His Family, but never more so then after reading this book. His humor and wit shine through, but so does his desire to do good for the people of his state. He gives praise to his fellow Democrats, while gently chastising his detractors on the other side of the aisle. And he actually taught me something about how a bill really gets through Congress (forget all about that silly video that purports to.)

He could do that because he had actually taken the time to learn about public policy, not jumping in totally ignorant as so many have. And he was a good enough Senator for the people of Minnesota to send him back a second time by a wide margin.

Now on to the elephant in the room. I did some research into the accusations against him. Most don’t hold water. He left his hand on your breast for ten seconds? What, were you in a coma? Another claimed that he had “pinched the skin around her waist a couple of times.” Give me a break. Perhaps if one of these women had turned around and slapped him, or yelled something to the affect like “Keep your hands to yourself, a**hole,” it would have all ended there. In any event, I found nothing that would have warranted destroying a man’s career. Certainly not before allowing the vetting he was asking for.

So Gillibrand, Brown, Harris, Stabenow, Booker, Warren, and, yes, even Sanders, and the other twenty-five Democratic senators who voted to oust him (amazing how many of them are running for the presidential nomination,) you can all rot.





( Mount TBR 2019 Book Links )

BOOK BINGO

13. Free Space - Al Franken: Giant of the Senate by Al Franken



( And the rest )

Nine-year-old Karl Anders Nilsson is the unwelcome foster child of an uncaring couple. Lonely and neglected, he yearns for simple things, things that many children already have: a warm, loving home of his own, someone to share his sorrows and joys with, and, most important, his real father.

Then, on October 15th, Karl Anders Nilsson simply disappears. Where has he gone? (Police are searching for him!) But Karl is far away from chilly Stockholm, in Farawayland, where he has found his father, who is none other than the King of that land. And now Karl faces a truly dangerous mission. Prophecies have foretold his coming for thousands of years. He, his new best friend Pompoo, and Miramis, his wonderful flying horse with a golden mane, must travel together into the darkness of Outer Land to do battle with Sir Kato, the cruel abductor of the children of Farawayland. Only a child of the royal blood can stop him..

It has to say something about a book that a person would remember it decades after having it read to them. That was the case with this book, and I was afraid that it wouldn’t be the book I remember, as that’s been my experience with so many previously read books recently.

Yes, I had to remember that the book is written for children, but I was still able to find the magic that had enthralled me as a child. The story reads like a fairy tale, with kings and princes, flying horses, dark and dangerous castles, and a fantastic undertaking for our hero. There’s some sadness, but much happiness. Some fear, but much bravery. It’s a timeless story, as most fairy tales are, and one that I think any child would find enjoyable. A lot of adults, too.





( Mount TBR 2019 Book Links )

BOOK BINGO

6. Children's or YA - Mio, My Son by Astrid Lindgren



( And the rest... )

New York Times bestselling author Jim Harrison was one of America’s most beloved and critically acclaimed writers. The classic Legends of the Fall is Harrison at his most memorable: a striking collection of novellas written with exceptional brilliance and a ferocious love of life.

The title novella, “Legends of the Fall”—which was made into the film of the same name—is an epic, moving tale of three brothers fighting for justice in a world gone mad. Moving from the raw landscape of early twentieth-century Montana to the blood-drenched European battlefields of World War I and back again to Montana, Harrison’s powerful story explores the theme of revenge and the actions to which people resort when their lives or goals are threatened, painting an unforgettable portrait of the twentieth-century man.

Also including the novellas “Revenge” and “The Man Who Gave Up His Name,” Legends of the Fall confirms Jim Harrison’s reputation as one of the finest American voices of his generation.

I found the anthology to be somewhat uneven. I enjoyed Revenge, though wasn’t clear as to how the title fit into the story’s action. Revenge is such a strong thing to happen just by happenstance. I did not enjoy The Man Who Gave Up His Name. While it started out well, it soon got bogged down in the ordinary and trite, meandering all over the place but not really saying anything. What was the point of it all?

I did enjoy Legends of the Fall, though I wonder how much of that has to do with the movie being a favorite of mine. The movie adds quite a bit, unintentionally filling in the story for me. Still, it was definitely the strongest of the three. All three stories appear to have been written at the same time, and somewhat early in his career, so I may pick up another of his books at a later date.




Mount TBR 2019 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.


1. The Outsider
2. War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence
3. Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts
4. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
5. Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition
6. From Baghdad to America: Life after War for a Marine and His Rescued Dog (Lava #2)
7. The Gap Into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge (Gap #2)
8. The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery
9. First King of Shannara (Original Shannara Trilogy 0)
10. Legends of the Fall


BOOK BINGO


1. Fantasy, Scifi, Paranormal - The Outsider by Stephen King
2. Mystery/Crime/True Crime - The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery by D.T. Max
7. Biography/Autobiography Non fiction - From Baghdad to America by Jay Kopelman
8. Historical (fiction or nonfiction) - Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition by Owen Beattie, John Geiger
9. Set in Your State/Country or Written by a Local Author - Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison
10. Title Starts with the First Letter of Your Name - The Gap Into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge (Gap #2) by Stephen R. Donaldson
11. Female Author - Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon
15. Title is at Least Six Words Long - War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow
20. A New-to-You Author - The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
22. A Book that is Part of a Series (4+ books) - First King of Shannara (Original Shannara Trilogy 0) by Terry Brooks

For two hundred years a noble Venetian family has suffered from an inherited disease that strikes their members in middle age, stealing their sleep, eating holes in their brains, and ending their lives in a matter of months. In Papua New Guinea, a primitive tribe is nearly obliterated by a sickness whose chief symptom is uncontrollable laughter. Across Europe, millions of sheep rub their fleeces raw before collapsing. In England, cows attack their owners in the milking parlors, while in the American West, thousands of deer starve to death in fields full of grass.

What these strange conditions–including fatal familial insomnia, kuru, scrapie, and mad cow disease–share is their cause: prions. Prions are ordinary proteins that sometimes go wrong, resulting in neurological illnesses that are always fatal. Even more mysterious and frightening, prions are almost impossible to destroy because they are not alive and have no DNA–and the diseases they bring are now spreading around the world.

I vividly remember when the mad cow scare started. No one knew what it was or where it came from. I think most figured it was like AIDS, an old disease that had recently jumped from another species. But then more was brought out about kuru and scrapie, and it became apparent that, whatever it was, it had been around for a long time.

That history is explored here, starting with fatal familial insomnia, which I had never heard of, to the chronic wasting disease which is decimating deer herds, which, because of where I live, I’ve heard plenty about. It’s a fascinating, though terrifying history of what would be come to be known as prions, proteins that “fold” themselves into these devastating diseases. It’s a hard book to read, yet a hard book to put down.




Mount TBR 2019 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.


1. The Outsider
2. War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence
3. Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts
4. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
5. Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition
6. From Baghdad to America: Life after War for a Marine and His Rescued Dog (Lava #2)
7. The Gap Into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge (Gap #2)
8. The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery


BOOK BINGO

1. Fantasy, Scifi, Paranormal - The Outsider by Stephen King
2. Mystery/Crime/True Crime - The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery by D.T. Max
7. Biography/Autobiography Non fiction - From Baghdad to America by Jay Kopelman
8. Historical (fiction or nonfiction) - Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition by Owen Beattie, John Geiger
10. Title Starts with the First Letter of Your Name - The Gap Into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge (Gap #2) by Stephen R. Donaldson
11. Female Author - Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon
15. Title is at Least Six Words Long - War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow
20. A New-to-You Author - The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman won the hearts of readers everywhere with his moving story of adopting an abandoned puppy named Lava from a hellish corner of Iraq. He opened the door for other soldiers to bring dogs home, and in From Baghdad to America, Kopelman once again leads the pack with his observations on the emotional repercussions of war.

Here, for the first time, Kopelman holds nothing back as he responds to the question, “Why did you save a dog instead of a person?” The answer reveals much about his inner demons—and about the bigger picture of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He talks about what it’s like to return to the States and examines the shocking statistics to come out of Iraq: Depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, and broken relationships are at record highs for the men and women who serve there. Kopelman credits Lava with helping him to endure combat and the pain of war, as well as helping him deal with the surprising difficulties of returning to everyday life. Civilians have a hard time understanding what being a Marine means, and the adjustment to living among them is hard for these soldiers. This book attempts to shed light on that for all readers.

I have to agree with previous reviewers who were disappointed in the book not being so much about Lava as about Kopelman. I know the title says it’s about both their lives back in the States, but in that the book is very uneven-handed. In fact, there’s very little about Lava, who was the reason I picked up the book in the first place.

What made the book even harder to read was that the more I learned about Kopelman, the less I liked him. It didn’t help that the book starts out with him allowing a juvenile dog who’s had little training off-leash next to the street. And, no, it didn’t have anything to do with him not being a good person; it was more than he wasn’t a very good dog owner.

Things only got worse. It got sort of tiring, Kopelman’s obvious distain for those who haven’t served. And don’t even let them have an opinion about the war that doesn’t fall into line with his. Along with his constant describing of himself as bad-tempered, rigid, and judgmental, it got to be a bit much. It does sound as if therapy has done him some good, so hopefully it all worked out in the end.




Mount TBR 2019 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.


1. The Outsider
2. War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence
3. Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts
4. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
5. Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition
6. From Baghdad to America: Life after War for a Marine and His Rescued Dog (Lava #2)


BOOK BINGO


1. Fantasy, Scifi, Paranormal - The Outsider by Stephen King
7. Biography/Autobiography Non fiction - From Baghdad to America by Jay Kopelman
8. Historical (fiction or nonfiction) - Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition by Owen Beattie, John Geiger
11. Female Author - Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon
15. Title is at Least Six Words Long - War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow
20. A New-to-You Author - The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

An anthology of horror stories that take place in the same grey, foggy town collects the work of the most popular writers in the field, including Robert Bloch, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and Robert McCammon.

1 • Prologue • (1985) • essay by Charles L. Grant
8 • Croome House • (1985) • Reginald Bretnor
29 • Used Books • (1985) • Robert E. Vardeman
40 • Street Life • (1985) • Douglas E. Winter
55 • Something in a Song • (1985) • Galad Elflandsson
67 • Hiding from the Sun • (1985) • Nina Kiriki Hoffman
74 • Memory and Desire • (1985) • Alan Ryan
117 • The Red House • (1985) • Robert R. McCammon
140 • Night Catch • (1985) • Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
165 • Nocturne • (1985) • Robert Bloch
173 • A Heritage Upheld • (1985) • Joseph Payne Brennan
212 • The Only • (1985) • Al Sarrantonio
227 • The Disintegration of Alan • (1985) • Melissa Mia Hall
233 • In a Guest House • (1985) • Steve Rasnic Tem
247 • Power • (1985) • Kathryn Ptacek
272 • Chroniclers • (1985) • essay by Charles L. Grant

It was disappointing that so many of the story either never mentioned Greystone Bay, or only in passing. I had been under the impression that the stories were intricately connected. They’re not, except for the prologue, Croome House, and Memory and Desire, though that one jumps from one story to the next with no real connection.

There were a couple of really good stories, Robert McCammon’s The Red House, and Kathryn Ptacek’s Power, but they weren’t enough to make up for the disjointedness of the anthology.

I wish there had been more stories about the history of Greystone Bay, and why things that happen there happen there. There are more books in the series, so I may get my wish. I hope so.



MADE IT TO THE TOP!

This is the 48th book read this year that qualifies to be part of my Mount TBR challenge. So I made it to the top of Mt Ararat! Below is listed all 48 books.



Mount TBR 2018 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.


1. ReDeus: Divine Tales
2. 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created
3. The Exodus Quest
4. Troy: Shield Of Thunder
5. Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph
6. Hyperion
7. Thin Air
8. Gods and Generals
9. White Seed
10. The Killer Angels
11. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
12. Troy: Fall of Kings
13. The Last Full Measure
14. Gwendy's Button Box
15. We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy
16. Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition
17. The Mists of Avalon
18. In The Shadow of FDR: From Harry Truman to Barack Obama
19. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
20. The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos #2)
21. The Lost Labyrinth
22. Autumn of the Black Snake: The Creation of the U.S. Army and the Invasion That Opened the West
23. A Brief History of Phoenix
24. Point of Contact
25. Gone for Soldiers: A Novel of the Mexican War
26. The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story
27. God: The Human Quest to Make Sense of the Divine
28. The Dog Master: A Novel of the First Dog
29. Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes
30. Fire In the Sea
31. The Song of Troy
32. From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava
33. Helen of Troy
34. The Selkie
35. Conquest: The English Kingdom of France in the Hundred Years War
36. Grief Cottage
37. Beyond the Gates
38. Knock Knock
39. Mr. Mercedes
40. Finders Keepers
41. The Third Plantagenet: George, Duke of Clarence, Richard III's Brother
42. The Bones of Avalon
43. Field Notes from a Catastrophe
44. End of Watch
45. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel
46. Mongrels, Bastards, Orphans, and Vagabonds: Mexican Immigration and the Future of Race in America
47. Panacea
48. The First Chronicles of Greystone Bay